Laine's offseason plan has brought him back to Columbus

Patrik Laine woke up March 19 and didn't think he had what it took to be in the lineup.

The Blue Jackets had an afternoon game that day in Las Vegas, and -- save your jokes about the Vegas flu -- Laine wasn't feeling very well.

And then he got a call from associate head coach Pascal Vincent that changed his mind-set.

"I called the trainers in the morning (and said) that I'm sick and I'm not gonna play," Laine said. "And then Pazzy called me and said, 'You're going to play center," and I was like, 'Well, OK, this is what I've been waiting for, so I can't just sit out this game.'

"It wasn't the easiest timing for that, but I enjoyed it for those two games."

With then-head coach Brad Larsen attending to a personal matter, Vincent was in charge of the team, and as the time ticked down in a lost season, the Blue Jackets wanted to see what Laine had at the center.

The Finnish forward had pushed for the move as the Blue Jackets were struck by a bevy of injuries at the position. Intrigued by the opportunity and looking to expand his portfolio of abilities, Laine approached the coaching staff and asked to help out.

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That wish was granted in Vegas and continued one game later at Washington, and the early returns were encouraging. Laine posted four assists in the two games, was a combined plus-3 and the Blue Jackets had a 38-29 edge in shot attempts with him on the ice at 5-on-5, but any further data collection was short-circuited when the 25-year-old suffered a strained triceps that ended his season.

One of the questions hanging in the air during the Blue Jackets offseason is if that cameo could become something more permanent under head coach Mike Babcock, but Laine declined to say what the two have discussed since the latter's hiring.

He did acknowledge, though, that he's continuing to learn about the position should the chance to play in the middle present itself.

"I'm still open to it," Laine said. "There's still things that need to be worked on, obviously. It's a very responsible position overall. It's a lot of responsibilities, but if it ends up happening, I'm excited. If it doesn't, it doesn't, but at least I've done my homework on that and will try to be fully prepared for that. But if it doesn't happen, I'll just play somewhere else."

Wherever he ends up, Laine will be hoping for a lot less turbulence than he went through during the 2022-23 season. His production was still quite strong -- with a 22-30-52 line in 55 games, he was just below his career-best point-per-game showing the year prior -- but Laine missed time last year with three different injuries (elbow, ankle, triceps) as well as a stint on the COVID-19 list.

There were still plenty of highlights, including his second CBJ hat trick Jan. 14 at Detroit as well as eight power-play goals while serving as a part of a man-advantage that was clicking at midseason, but anticipated chemistry with new acquisition Johnny Gaudreau materialized only in fits and starts. Add in the difficult season record-wise for the Blue Jackets and it wasn't exactly the year Laine was looking for.

He said his offseason plans haven't differed a ton, as his focus is to try to get better all over the ice, but one thing is different. Laine is already back in Columbus rather than spending most of the offseason in his native Finland, but when asked if his return was about dialing in on offseason training, he had a different answer.

"No, it wasn't even about that," Laine said. "I just like being here, so I just decided to come earlier. I've been enjoying it so far. I wouldn't come here two and a half months early otherwise. It's cool. I like it."

That much was clear as Laine participated for the second time Tuesday in the Cap City Summer Elite League games. During intermission of his game with 614 Hockey, Laine didn't even attempt to head to the locker room, instead stopping to sign autographs for the large group of children in attendance.

"They take the time to come see us here," he said of the fans. "It doesn't take much time from us to sign a puck or sign a hat or whatever. Just try to make everybody happy and have time for everyone. (The support) is great. I didn't know much about this when Sean (Kuraly) recruited me, but it's been great so far. It's fun to play in front of people as opposed to playing by ourselves. It's great to see people in the summer and know that they love watching hockey, and it's a fun activity for them."

Laine also acknowledged he's excited about the CBJ offseason, which included the hiring of Babcock, the draft choice of Adam Fantilli, the acquisitions of veteran defensemen Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson, and the signings of Alexandre Texier and Dmitri Voronkov.

When asked if he sees the Blue Jackets as a sleeper, the Finnish forward said the team would need better health, but he wasn't shying away from the squad's stated goal.

"We'll try to win," he said. "That's why we're here. We didn't come here (just) to make the playoffs. Well, you have to do that first, but we came here to win. That's why I'm here, so that's what I'm focused on."